Railway-car bolster.



W. F. RICHARDS.

RAILWAY GAR BGLSTER.

APPLICATION FILED 1120.26, 1911.

Patented Mar. 11,-1913.

l IE

UNrrED STATES 'llv-Ulmr' (wmv PATENT omiten.

l" WILLARD F. RICHARDS, or DEPEW, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAILWAY-CAR BOLsiiER.

Specification of Letters Patent'.

Patented )In r. 1t, 1913.

l Application led December 26, 1911. Serial No. 667,577.

To all whom; i'zt 'may concern Be it known that I, .VILLARD F. Riem' "Mins, a citizen of the United States, residing' at Depew, in the county ot Erie and -State of New York, have invented a new -and ruseful Improvement 11i Railway-Car Bolsters, of which the following is a specification.

fThis invention relates to railwayr car vvbolster-sand analogous supporting members, andjniore particularly to improvements in east' steel holsters for car trucks.

On account of the very heavy rolling yinertia of the trut-tis.

s'to'clr in eoniinon use on railroads at the pling the cars. especially-in switching,ir service. as the "holsters have-'to overcome the' The ohjeet of the invention is to produce -`a "ast steel truck holster which will lhave the strength and rigidity, hotli vertically and laterally. which are essential to long `r liteand satisfactory results under the eX- ils'tine' conditions oi' service, hut which is,

iievertlieless, of the minimum weight and is i "constructed so that it can be iiiolded with facility and not liable to he cracked and checked hy shrinkage strains, thus rediieingthe n'ianutaeturin losses and reducingtlie cost of production` of the holster. ,"'lhesev results are attained primarily by ,inakinpf the holster with a hollow or hox- "like hody havingA a top or compression memher.' a' bottom or tension member -ivhich is ot' inverted arch, or channel` sliaperand opl ",posite .side inenihers or wehs whit-li Connect the side tlffinges oi the bottoni member with` the top member and are .provided with `outwardlyhuleed portions or lateral enlarg'enients which extend lengthwise aloner the opposite edges or"y thi` top nieinber o t' the holster :ind t'orni in leffect opposite tension ncl compression channels for stitfeningr' thisl ieinher against lateral strains. Prefer ,ably these side channels diminish in depth for lateral width troin the niiddle toward `tlie.endsv o1e the holster and are provided with suitable strengthening ribs` and the top and bottoni members oi the. holstel aref connected by a hollow central strut or post which is preferably strengthened hylongitudinal and transverse vertical ribs.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan vie'w,`pai'tly in horizont-al section, of a car t'i'ueli holster embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a'.\'iew thereot', partly iii side elevation and partly in vertical section. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are transverse seo tions thereof in lines 3-5-5, 4 4, and 5 5, respectively, Fig. 2.' Like reference characters ret'er to like parts in the several figures.

The bolster consists of a hollow or boxlike steel casting having a top or compression' ineinher A, a bottom Or tension member B, and opposite side ineuihers or webs C.

D represents the ends otthe'bolster'which bear on the supporting springs and more vertically hetween the columns of the truck` and E and F represent., respectively, the center and side hearings of the bolster. The invention relates only to the construction o't" the body of the bolster, and the ends thereotA and the side and center bearings may be of the usual or any suitable eonstruetion. The ends are, however, preferably of the' hollow rectangular shape shown, having),r a ribbed bottom plate and side walls guides If. y

vThe opposite side members or webs C have outwardly hule-ed portions or lateral enlai-'ceincnts G which extend lengthwise along the'opposite edges of the top member of the hody ot the bolster. 'lhese bulged portions are in the t'orin ot channels, arranged with their legs or flanges extendingr inwardly and with theiry upper and lower tlanoes. res iectivelv. loininv the' top inem.

her A and the upper edges of the side members (l ot' the bolster. lhus the bulged portions constitute, in effect. opposite channel'ehoi'dstor the top member which act in tension and compression to resist lateral strains` and,` therefore, `rive this member great strength in a lateral or horizontal direction. i The channels G are preferably deepest at theI middle of the bolster and gradually diminish in dept-h toward the. ends ot' the bolster, where their upright walls (I, whiel1` are vertical, merge into the vertical sidewalls of the ends T) ot the holster, and

vertical ribs g are preferably provided provided with vertical column` which cross the side channels G between their ends and connect the top and side members A and C of the bolster,thus adding to the vertical strength of the bolster. The upper portion of the body of the bolster is widest at its middle and' tapers toward the ends of the bolster.

The bottom or tension member B of the bolster is in the form of a channel, arranged with its legs or flanges projecting upwr rdly and joining the side members C of the bolster, which diverge slightly in an upward direction. This facilitates the drawing of the bolster from the mold and also makes the bolster narrower at its lowerportion than at its upper portion, which is desirable. The bottom or tension member inclines upwardly from the middle toward the ends D of the bolster, thus making the bolster deepest at its middle, as usual.

H represents a hollow strut or ost which connects the top and bottom mem rs of the bolster at its middle portion and is adapted to receive the king pin of the truck. This strut preferably has vertical strengthening ribs 7L and lz. extending from the top to the Abottom members of the bolster, the --former extending longitudinally of the bolster and the latter transversely and joining the hollow post to the opposite side members C of the bolster. I

In the preferred form of the bolster, shown in the drawings, the top or compression member A is curved y or bowed upwardly and is provided with openings in its neutral axis to reduce the weight of the bolster; t-he upperportions of the sides C are bowed or curved otwardly and are also provided with openings: and thechannel tension member B has a bottom face which is substantially flat transversely, and an upper face which is curved or of substantially inverted arc shape. TheseA are not, however, essential features of the bolster.

vWhile by constructingl the bolster as described, bcth the top and bottom members `A and B thereof are in the form of channelsacting Vrespectively in compression and in tension in a vertical direction, and the top member A. furthermore has the form of a horizontally placed beam with channel tension and compression chords G at o posite sides; it will be observed that t e bolster has no projecting thin flanges' or ribs. This is a great advantage from-a foundry stand int, since in molding cast steel bodies it 1s very diliicult to make such flanges or ribs uniformly of equal thickness :nd strength throughout their length and prevent them from being "cracked and checked by shrinkage strains.

lhe described bolster is 'exceedingly strong and rigid and has been vshown by actual tests to have substantially equal strength and rigidity laterally and verti cally.

I claim as my invention: l

1. A hollo'w cast metal bolster provided at opposite sides thereof with laterally projecting channel shaped portions which ex tend lengthwise ofthe bolster adjacent to the top thereof with the channel flanges eX- y tending inwardly, substantially as s et forth.

2. A hollow cast metal bolster comprising top. bottom rxnd side members, said side members being provided with laterally projectinir channel shaped portions which ex' Achannel shaped bottom member. side members which extend upwardly from the opposite sides of said bot-tom member. and channel shaped portions which extend lengthwise of the bolster at opposite sides thereof and the flanges of which connect said top member to the upper portions of said side members. substantially as set forth.

5. A hollow cast metal bolster having a channel shaped bottom inember. side members which extend upwardly from the opposit@ sides of said bottom member. and channel shaped portions which extend lengthwise of the bolster at opposite sides thereof and the flanges of which connect said ton member to the upper port-ions of said side members. said channel-shaped portions diminishing' in depth from themiddle toward the end portions of the bolster. substantially as set forth.

6. A hollow' cast metal bolster comprising top. bottom and side members. said side members beine1r provided with laterally proiectinfr channel shaped portions which eX tend lengthwisef the holster with their upper flanges joining said top member. and vertical ribs which. cross .said channel shaped portions and connect thc top and side members of the bolster. substantially as set forth. n

7. 'hollow cast' metalbolster havingr a channel shaped bottom member. side membersA which extend upwardly from thc opposite sides of said bottom member. channel shaped portions which extend lengthwise of thc bolster at opposite sides thereof and connect said top member to the upper p0rtions of said side members. and a Strut which connects the, middle port-ions `of `said top and bottomv members, substantially as set forth. i

y 8. Ahollow east metal bolster provided Witness my hand this 20th day of Deat opposite sides thereof With laterally procember, 1911.

- jectiii channel sha ed portions which extendan hwise of Ithe bolster adjacent to WILLARDF' RICHARDS" 5 the top t ereof and diminish in depth from VVitneSses:

the middle toward the end portions' of the DONALD C. DAERS, bolster, substantially as set forth. ALLEN B. BREMMER. 

